Sunglass and sunglass case display stand

ABSTRACT

A display stand for sunglasses and the cases therefor wherein the cases are supported directly behind and serve to maintain the position of the sunglasses on the display stand.

United States Patent 1191 Bloch June 18, 1974 SUNGLASS AND SUNGLASS CASE DISPLAY 3,195.731 7/1965 Bomar 211/13 STAND 3,292,793 12/1966 Ashcroft 211/13 3,333,709 8/1967 Leblanc et al. 2] H13 [7 Inventor: J o Leommster, Mass 3,352,425 11/1967 Burke 211/13 Assignee: {inter Grant Co. Inc., Leominster, 1,258,283 3/1961 France 248/016.2 [22] Filed: Nov. 9, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 306,222 Primary Examiner-Marion Parsons, Jr.

Assistant ExaminerRobert W. Gibson, Jr.

[52] US. Cl. 211/13, 248/DIG. 2 [51] Int. Cl. A47f 7/00 [57] ABSTRACT 8 Fl Se h ..21113,18l;248175, 302, [5 1 le d of arc 248/363 DIG 2 A d1splay stand for sunglasses and the cases therefor wherein the cases are supported directly behind and [56] References Cited serve to maintain the position of the sunglasses on the display stand. UNITED STATES PATENTS 921,703 5/1909 Hubbard 248/303 2 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures SUNGLASS AND SUNGLASS CASE DISPLAY STAND I BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In recent years it has become more common to supply a sunglass case to the customer along with his purchase of certain of the more expensive pairs of sunglasses. The case serves as a convenience for transporting the sunglasses and protects them from injury, especially avoiding scratching of the lenses. To convey to the purchaser that a case is provided with the sunglasses and to display it in an attractive manner, a novel display stand has been devised which support both the sunglasses and its paired case together on the stand in a special cooperating relationship. Thus, the retailer is saved from the trouble of keeping a separate supply of the cases and matching it to the sunglasses purchased at the time of the sale.

The special cooperating relationship mentioned between the sunglasses and its case provide that the case itself aids in maintaining the sunglasses in their proper position on the display stand as will be seen.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the invention is to provide a display stand for sunglasses and their paired cases to be displayed attractively together.

Another object of the invention is to provide support means on a display stand for supporting a pair of sunglasses and a case therefor such that the case is supported in contact with the sunglasses and serves as a positioning means therefor.

Pursuant to the objects of the invention the stand is formed preferably as an integral structure made substantially entirely of bent metal wire. It includes a base portion and one or more stem members extending upwardly therefrom. The stem members each support a plurality of forward extending support means each of which is specially formed to receive and support a sunglass case in a position directly behind a pair of sunglasses. The sunglasses are supported at the bridge portions with their temples closed and in contact with the case. Just forward of the sunglasses and serving as a front restraining means is the upturned end portion of the support means. The steam member serves as a rear restraining means for the case and thus the case being held in a non-yielding manner is positioned such that it is pressing against the folded temples of the sunglasses and holding the sunglasses in their display position against the front restraining means.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the display stand of the present invention showing the paired sunglasses and cases displayed thereon.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a single support means and a sunglass case supported thereon.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing a pair of sunglasses positioned on said support means in front of its case.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the pair of sunglasses and its case on said support means as shown in FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring specifically to the drawings, 10 indicates generally the display stand. As shown the stand is preferably made of bent wire using welds to join the pieces of wire into the integral unit shown.

The base of the display stand 10 includes the space enclosing wire member 12 which may be formed of one 0 piece of bent wire with the ends thereof butted together and joined. Included as part of the base member and spanning the width thereof is member 16 welded at its end portions to wire member 12. As shown in FIG. I a plurality of stem members 18 are supported on and extend upwardly from the base member. Each stem member may also be formed of a single wire piece bent into an elongated inverted u-shape and attached by welding the legs 20 thereof to member 16 in its upright position. Each of the stem members have a plurality of support means 22 extending forwardly therefrom at vertically spaced intervals.

As shown more clearly in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 the support means may also each consist of a single piece of wire which is bent rather elaborately and attached to the stem member by welding the opposing ends thereof to the legs 20 of the stem members. Extending in the forward direction from the stem the supporting means are first formed into a sunglass case receiving pocket. The bottom of the pocket is formed by two substantially horizontal legs 23, 24, the pocket front is formed by the pair of upwardly bent portions, 26, 28. The stem member 20 serves to form the back of the pocket and thus serves as a rear restraining means for a case 21 inserted in the pocket as shown in FIGS. 2. Extending forwardly from the pocket portion of the support means are a pair of inwardly bent substantially horizontal shelf members 29, 30 forming a sunglass supporting shelf 31. The members 29, 30 are bent inward at approximately 45 degrees except at the forward ends thereof where they extend forwardly in closely spaced parallel relationship for a short distance. As shown in FIG. 3 the bridge portion of the sunglasses 27 are supported on this narrowed front portion of said shelf and the closed temples may rest on the shelf therebehind. The shelf terminates in an upwardly turned portion of the support means forming a forward restraining means 32 including a pair of closely spaced parallel legs 34, 36 and a sharp bend 38 at the top thereof.

In use the sunglass case is usually first inserted in its pocket and the sunglasses then are inserted between the case and the forward restraining means. This compresses the case slightly and its tendency to return to its original shape provides the biasing force which holds the sunglasses in place. The sunglass and sunglass case display stand may be of the rotary type. In that instance, the base member from which the stem members extends upward will include a means for mounting it upon a pedestal or the like, in a manner permitting rotation. For example, an axial shaft may extend upwardly from the pedestal and the base member may have an opening through which the axial shaft may extend. The number of stem members extending upwardly from the base may vary from one to as many as four or more on a rotary display stand, for example, or even greater numbers in a large display.

The display stand though preferably formed of bent wire elements joined together could also be made of other materials such as plastics which may be molded to form the various elements of the stand.

Thus the disclosed display stand performs the objects of the invention in a most effective manner in an easily and inexpensive manufactured form.

I claim:

1. A sunglass and sunglass case display stand made substantially of bent metal wire formed into an integral unit comprising:

a base member;

at least one stem member extending upwardly from said base member and serving as a rear restraining means for paired sunglass cases and sunglasses which are displayed together on said display stand;

a plurality of support means extending forwardly at vertically spaced intervals from said stern members, each of said support means comprising;

means for supporting a spectacle case against a pair of spectacles supported in a position forward of said case, said means comprising a piece of wire bent to form a pocket, said pocket including a depressed bottom portion extending substantially horizontally from said rear restraining means and a front portion extending upwardly therefrom, said wire also bent to form a substantially horizontal shelf extending forwardly from the upward most portion of said front portion of said pocket, said shelf terminating in an upwardly extending forward restraining means, said front restraining means being spaced from said rear restraining means such that a single pair of sunglasses supported by its bridge portion on said shelf is held in a position such that the spectacle case supported behind is in contact with the closed temples of said sunglasses, said case being slightly compressed, so that said case in attempting to return to its original shape urges said spectacles forward against said forward restraining means to maintain said sunglasses in their proper position on said display stand.

2. The display stand of claim 1 wherein a plurality of stem members extend upwardly from said base mem bers, each of said stem members supporting a plurality of support means. 

1. A sunglass and sunglass case display stand made substantially of bent metal wire formed into an integral unit comprising: a base member; at least one stem member extending upwardly from said base member and serving as a rear restraining means for paired sunglass cases and sunglasses which are displayed together on said display stand; a plurality of support means extending forwardly at vertically spaced intervals from said stem members, each of said support means comprising; means for supporting a spectacle case against a pair of spectacles supported in a position forward of said case, said means comprising a piece of wire bent to form a pocket, said pOcket including a depressed bottom portion extending substantially horizontally from said rear restraining means and a front portion extending upwardly therefrom, said wire also bent to form a substantially horizontal shelf extending forwardly from the upward most portion of said front portion of said pocket, said shelf terminating in an upwardly extending forward restraining means, said front restraining means being spaced from said rear restraining means such that a single pair of sunglasses supported by its bridge portion on said shelf is held in a position such that the spectacle case supported behind is in contact with the closed temples of said sunglasses, said case being slightly compressed, so that said case in attempting to return to its original shape urges said spectacles forward against said forward restraining means to maintain said sunglasses in their proper position on said display stand.
 2. The display stand of claim 1 wherein a plurality of stem members extend upwardly from said base members, each of said stem members supporting a plurality of support means. 